Category: Frontline Heroes

   By Emily Gross, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach

 Today’s Front Line Hero is Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center for making every day of the holiday season special for their residents this year.

 Missouri Slope has been serving Bismarck, North Dakota for more than 50 years and specializes in long-term care and rehabilitation for seniors. Recognizing that residents in their facility could not be in close contact with family during the holidays, staff launched “Operation Christmas Stocking Project” to celebrate them every day this December. Enlisting the help of generous individuals and community organizations, the team stuffed stockings and presented them to more than 70 tenants each morning. Residents received a wide variety of items, such as cookies, blankets, fun face masks, pens, notepads, calendars, books, scented soap, hand sanitizer, and hot chocolate mix.

    The project has made residents feel valued and appreciated. In a recent interview with local news, tenant Annie Gallup, said, “It makes us feel so good that people are thinking of others and wanting to bring us happiness and joy.” Reier Thompson, President and CEO of Missouri Slope, said, “Being able to just surprise everybody with even the smallest gift goes along way.”

 Thank you to everyone at Missouri Slope for the extra effort to bring Christmas magic to your residents this season!

By Emily Gross, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Child & Family Services of Indiana/Kentucky for continuing to assist children and families throughout the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

LCFS of Indiana/Kentucky is headquartered in Indianapolis and provides a wide range of residential and community-based programs to help children and families in need. In addition to operating an emergency shelter, group home, and other infrastructure to help young people find respite and new direction in life, the nonprofit works with partners to offer food and other needed items at no cost to families in the wider community.

Through The Sharing Place Food Pantry, LCFS of Indiana/Kentucky provides food to families in Marion County, Indiana, and continues to enlist donors and volunteers during the pandemic to keep the program going strong. They also ran their annual Christmas Store in December. Hosted by Gethsemane Lutheran Church in downtown Indianapolis, the store provides gifts parents can select for their children, as well as makings for Christmas dinner. LCFS of Indiana/Kentucky put out the call early for supporters to donate items such as toys, gift cards, small kitchen appliances, home goods, and board games. As a result, they were able to give many families a wonderful Christmas.

Many Americans found it difficult to afford food and other necessities this holiday season, let alone gifts for their children. We are so thankful to organizations like Lutheran Child & Family Services of Indiana/Kentucky for keeping their doors open to support members of their community in spite of the pandemic.

By Christopher Findlay, Senior Marketing Manager

Today’s Front Line Hero is SpiriTrust Lutheran for finding ways to bring residents closer together during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For 70 years, SpiriTrust has delivered a variety of services centered around senior living, health and rehabilitation, counseling, and education. SpiriTrust serves more than 23,000 people across Pennsylvania and northern Maryland each year with a promise to help each person achieve an optimal quality of life.

SpiriTrust has been quick to adapt its services in the most creative ways to meet the demands and restrictions required in the COVID-19 era. The organization created a concierge program to make meals available for delivery or curbside pick-up. Life enrichment teams also came up with ways to keep residents’ spirits high during the pandemic by developing programs centered around education and entertainment. With isolation a concern for many, all the challenges presented over the past 10 months has only heightened the importance of community for SpiriTrust’s residents. Sandra Teague, a resident at the Village at Shrewsbury, said that “living in a retirement community takes a lot of stress off of my life, especially now . . . There is support and a feeling of community throughout SpiriTrust Lutheran.”

SpiriTrust’s Village at Sprenkle Drive received a big shot of confidence to end December when residents and staff became the first within the larger SpiriTrust community to receive the COVID-19 vaccine—a much welcomed light at the end of a long tunnel. Thank you to SpiriTrust for your persistence in the face of adversity and commitment to the wellbeing of everyone served in your communities.

By Haley Leis, Intern

Today’s Front Line Hero is Partners For Wichita for their continued work towards the goal of breaking the cycles of addiction.

Partners for Wichita, based in Wichita, Kansas, is dedicated to improving the well-being of the city by connecting individuals with faith communities and community organizations. Partners for Wichita has two branches, each focused on separate groups of, but equally important, issues that impact the greater Wichita area. Samaritan Community focuses on the health and well-being of community members by addressing food insecurity and other hunger issues. Safe Streets is dedicated to improving the safety of communities through drug and alcohol prevention, youth engagement, and other neighborhood safety services.

The Grid was originally a program started by Partners for Wichita in late November 2010 aimed at helping alcoholics and addicts recover from their addictions in a safe and supportive environment. Over the years, however, The Grid has evolved into a program that aims at bringing recovery, health, and peace to any and all individuals in the community. Lutheran Services in America wants to congratulate Partners for Wichita on their 10 years of success with The Grid program and we look forward to many more!

By Christopher Findlay, Senior Marketing Manager

Today’s Front Line Hero is Columbia Lutheran Home in Seattle for its aggressive actions and transparency to protect the wellbeing of its residents and employees from COVID-19.

For more than a century, Columbia Lutheran Home has leaned on innovative practices to deliver the best integrated care for older adults. In 1975, it was one of the first facilities to offer an adult daycare program. A few years after that, Columbia became the first nursing facility in Washington state to provide respite and emergency care beds for assisting families caring for loved ones at home. Columbia celebrated its 100th anniversary last year as it continues to serve all members of its community regardless of background.

True to its word about being committed to the health and wellbeing of its community, Columbia provided a dose of post-Christmas cheer to its residents when it announced that it would soon receive the coronavirus vaccine. The home conducted its first of three vaccination periods last week and will complete the process in mid-February. Prior to receiving the Pfizer vaccine, Columbia put in place stringent protocols to protect the health of residents and employees, including a temporary suspension of visitations, regular surveillance testing for staff, and regular disinfection of shared spaces. Staff put together a COVID-19 action plan outlining all its preventive measures, and provided updates to residents to remain as transparent as possible.

Thank you to Columbia for your commitment to your residents and staff, and your constant willingness to find new ways to improve the lives of those in your community!

By Emily Gross, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Social Ministries of Maryland for their leadership and excellence in providing short-term rehabilitation for seniors.

Lutheran Social Ministries of Maryland operates two continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in Maryland – Carroll Lutheran Village in Westminster and The Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant in Ellicott City. They also provide senior services in the wider community and partner with many community and educational organizations that share their passion for service and support for older adults.

Carroll Lutheran Village was recently recognized as Best Nursing Home by U.S. News & World Report for short-term rehabilitation. According to a news release on their website, the community earned Best Nursing Homes status by achieving a rating of “High Performing,” the highest possible rating, for short-term rehabilitation. U.S. News gives the designation of Best Nursing Home only to those that satisfy U.S. News’s assessment of the appropriate use of key services and consistent performance in quality measures.

The news release also lists extensive rehabilitation services offered at Carroll Lutheran Village, including aquatic therapy, cardiac and post CVA rehabilitation, chronic and acute pain management, cognitive and memory enhancement, fall prevention, home safety, Lee Silverman Voice Treatment BIG & Loud®, post-operative care, swallowing strategies, wound care, and more.

Congratulations to the staff at Carroll Lutheran Village and Lutheran Social Ministries of Maryland on this outstanding accomplishment.

By Emily Gross, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach

Today’s Front Line Hero is Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, Oregon, for leading a task force to coordinate county-wide vaccine delivery.

Also known by its legal name Columbia Lutheran Charities, Columbia Memorial Hospital has a long history in the region, with its first building opening in 1880. It is now the fastest growing rural hospital in the state of Oregon and recently joined with Providence Seaside Hospital and the Clatsop County government to establish a COVID Vaccine Task Force, a joint effort to ensure efficient and safe vaccination across the county. The Task Force meets daily to organize vaccine supplies, schedule vaccination clinics, and provide regular updates to the public.

The county and hospitals, along with Coastal Family Health Clinic, have pooled resources to deliver the vaccine in accordance with Oregon state guidelines. So far, efforts resulted in more than 1,800 receiving the vaccine. Just last week, the Task Force organized two separate clinics and distributed 500 doses of the Moderna vaccine to people in Phase 1a groups, including health providers, first responders, social services staff, and others who meet eligibility.

Thank you, Columbia Memorial Hospital, for assembling critical resources to distribute and deliver the COVID-19 vaccine in Oregon.

By Christopher Findlay, Senior Marketing Manager

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois for their efforts to neutralize racism within America’s child welfare system.

With the reality of racial discrimination in American society in mind, LCFS Illinois is committed to fostering conversations about the role of race within its ranks and strives to be a color-cognizant organization. Its mission to protect children and strengthen families for nearly 150 years continues today with an eye on addressing systemic racism and the social injustices that occur as a result.

Fully embracing the responsibility of being an anti-racist organization and commitment to upending systemic racism is part of LCFS Illinois’ long-term goals. The protests last summer in the wake of George Floyd’s death only sharpened LCFS’ resolve. The organization released a well-recognized case study, “Dismantling Institutional Racism Brick by Brick,” which was named a finalist by the Council on Accreditation for the 2020 Innovation Award. LCFS will follow up on the study’s findings with a virtual event on Thursday, January 21, to share how it is moving the needle within their foster care program by increasing permanency for youth of color and decreasing days in care.

There are about 2.9 million children in Illinois. Thank you to LCFS Illinois for your dedication toward ensuring each and every child has a safe and loving home to call their own.

By Emily Gross, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach

Today’s Front Line Hero is OPEN M in Akron, Ohio, for distributing more than 45,000 pounds of food to families in need over the last two months alone.

OPEN M stands for Opportunity Parish Ecumenical Neighborhood Ministry, an organization formed in the late 1960s to address poverty and other injustices affecting inner-city life. Now 1,000 volunteers strong, they expanded their effort over the years to offer food, health, and employment services in support of the greater Akron community. OPEN M also works with Covenant Churches and other supporting organizations to provide critical health and human service programs.

On the third Friday of every month, OPEN M hosts “Mountain of Food,” a Direct Distribution program of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. Throughout the day, OPEN M distributes in bulk much-needed nutritious, perishable foods such as produce, meat, and bread to families in need of assistance. Although recipients must bring an ID, no referral or pre-registration is required to receive items. Mountain of Food has continued as a drive-thru through the pandemic, and just last month, OPEN M distributed more than 25,000 pounds of food to 301 families, of which 85 were new to the program. Last week, they hosted another successful event, distributing more than 20,000 pounds of food. More than 185 families received items such as boxed cereal, fresh fruit and vegetables, chicken, assorted snacks, and drinks.

With food insecurity on the rise, we are grateful to organizations like OPEN M who are working through a global pandemic to feed their community. To find out more about Mountain of Food and other programs at OPEN M, volunteering, and other ways you can help, please visit www.openm.org/food.

By Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd in New Rockford, North Dakota, has had to adjust its daily activities to ensure that all residents are getting some form of daily interaction. Our residents’ safety is our number one priority, and our activity staff has gone above and beyond to ensure that all residents are enjoying daily activities at a safe distance.

Last year for Oktoberfest (a German festival) the activity staff dressed up as German beer servers in the traditional lederhosen suspenders, tall white socks, kakis, and a white shirt. It was a fun-filled German day where we all enjoyed root beer and polka music . . . COVID-19 style! We are so thankful for our front-line workers who go above and beyond to bring a little sunshine into our residents’ days!